Time spent with Julia Bendis brings to mind a certain Broadway tune. She's Russian. She's Jewish. And she's a matchmaker.

She says she comes by matchmaking naturally. Her mom and her grandmother used to dabble in it in Latvia, from which her family emigrated when Bendis was 13. Bendis began setting up people as a hobby in high school.

At 36, she's happily married and raising two boys, 13 and 8, in Rancho Santa Margarita – the result of some indirect matchmaking by her mom and grandmother. More on that later.

She started Match by Julia about four years ago, working with a small number of clients at any one time so she can give that personal touch. She has a website, matchby julia.com, but it's mainly for people to learn about her service and make initial contact. Otherwise, she works with them one-on-one, in person.

"I don't know if it got passed down to me, but I've always known who'd make a great couple," she says. "It's just something that, it's in me. People ask, 'How do you know?' I just know."

By now, you're humming that song in your head, right? She tells us more.

Think of the old-fashioned kind of matchmaking from "Fiddler on the Roof," and that's Julia's grandmother. Her mom, a microbiologist, was less so but always on the lookout.

Julia: It was kind of like a Russian thing, when there were grandmothers thinking, "So-and-so needs to get married. She needs to be set up. She's going to be old at 25."

I watched my grandmother do it. She didn't do it officially. It was just one of those things that grandmothers in Russia did, especially Jewish grandmothers. They would always try to set people up that were young or that they thought were getting old: 'Oh, I know a grandson,' or 'I know so-and-so, my friend so-and-so.' Or 'the woman who lives down the street, she's got a son.'

The wheels would spin from there. She knew people. If she didn't, she would meet people. She would walk down the street and meet people, here, there. Even without any English here, she would somehow meet people and she would interact with them with her hands, half English, half Russian, half who knows what.

Of course, Grandma would try to set up Julia. One time in particular led to a comical outcome.

She said there was this gentleman who came around this building where she lived with a lot of older people in Irvine. And he donated a lot of his time to help the war veterans and older people, especially Russian people. He was Russian. She kept talking about him – he's a sweet guy, a nice guy, you've got to meet him. He's cute. He's young. So he ended up calling me one day and he said, "You know, your last name sounds really familiar. I went to school back in Latvia with a guy named Vladimir Beynart." Which is my maiden name.

I said. "That's my dad." He said, "It is? Well, he was a couple of years older than me but I knew of him. He was a pretty well-known engineer back in the day." And I said, "Oh, my gosh! How old are you?" "Forty-five. How old are you?" "Twenty." I said I gotta go. Click.

I said, "Grandma, he's 45 years old! I almost went out on a date with him."

Related Links

Julia Bendis is an expert at love. She's a third-generation matchmaker. Her mom and grandmother, though, did not do it professionally as Bendis does. CINDY YAMANAKA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Julia Bendis of Rancho Santa Margarita is seen through a frame which normally holds her honeymoon picture. Her business, Match by Julia, has been working with an underserved dating population - seniors, along with the rest of the population. CINDY YAMANAKA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A 1998 honeymoon picture of Scott and Julia Bendis is cut into a familiar shape. That romantic heart shape is seen throughout their Rancho Santa Margarita home. CINDY YAMANAKA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Julia Bendis' Rancho Santa Margarita home has a lot of heart. From the entrance to the backyard, hearts to the upstairs, hearts are seen throughout. She decorated her home office in a passionate red. CINDY YAMANAKA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Match by Julia's rates are displayed in her Rancho Santa Margarita home office. CINDY YAMANAKA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The Rancho Santa Margarita home office of Julia Bendis, founder of Match by Julia, showcases an article about her from a Jewish publication, top, and her rates. CINDY YAMANAKA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
This August 1998 photo shows Julia Bendis' wedding with her mother, second from left, and her maternal grandmother, third from left. COURTESY OF JULIA BENDIS
A family picture with Julia Bendis' mom Jane, her parents David and Sofia Desyatnikov, and her brother Michael. COURTESY OF JULIA BENDIS
A 1979 picture of Jane Beynart, mother of Julia Bendis. Both mother and daughter were matchmakers. COURTESY OF JULIA BENDIS
Gina and Kevin Reney of Laguna Niguel were brought together by matchmaker Julia Bendis. This was their wedding day. COURTESY GINA AND KEVIN RENEY
Julia Bendis has matchmaking in her blood. Her grandmother and her mother were matchmakers back in Russia. She started putting people together as a hobby back in high school and now runs Match by Julia. The Rancho Santa Margarita resident painted "love" which graces her romantically red home office. CINDY YAMANAKA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Scott and Julia Bendis at their Rancho Santa Margarita home. She is a professional matchmaker and founded Match by Julia. Scott Bendis, left, stayed home to help her with the media interview. CINDY YAMANAKA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

1 of

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.